“Whendisastersstrike,the firstthing theinternationalearlyresponse communityneedsisinformation: Whathashappened,wheredidithappen, whatistheeffect,whatresponseisneeded?Notonlycansatelliteimagerytakenimmediatelyafteraneventlikeanearthquakeortropical cycloneshowwhathashappenedthroughimagesofdestroyedinfrastructureorfloodsurge,butwiththeirinherentgeo-coding,onecantell immediatelywheretheeventtookplaceandtheapparentmagnitude and impact of thedisaster.Thisiskeyinformationfor an efficient planning and coordination of emergency response operations as well as to perform a GIS based preliminary impact and damage assessment”.

The aim of the course is to provide training participants with concepts and GIS methodologies to perform satellite based rapid response analysis including the understanding of the benefits and limitations of using geo-spatial information technology in the immediate aftermath of a disaster.

Professionals working in governmental organizations who wish to strengthen their GIS skills in emergency response mapping. It is recommended that participants taking the course have a working knowledge of English including basic experience in GIS and Remote Sensing applications.